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A top U.S. general in Afghanistan was relieved of duty Friday for "inappropriate public comments" after calling the Afghan government "isolated from reality" and President Hamid Karzai "erratic."

Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander for training Afghan security forces, blasted the Afghan government, military and Karzai in an interview with POLITICO published on Thursday.

He called Karzai "erratic" for recently saying Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if the latter declared war on the U.S.

"Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle!," Fuller was quoted as saying. "You’ve got to be kidding me … I’m sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you’re telling me, 'I don’t really care'?"

Fuller also said he had trouble explaining to Afghan officials that Western funds were limited. "You guys are isolated from reality" he said he told Afghan generals. "If you're in a very poor country like Afghanistan, you think that America has roads paved in gold, everybody lives in Hollywood."

"I actually had someone senior tell me, 'All I want to do is put them [tanks] on a flat bed and drive them around in a parade'," he added.

Maybe, maybe not. The only sure thing it would happen would be a MASSIVE (and I mean 1930s massive) depression with virtually every economy in Europe collapsing. Yes, even those not in the Euro and yes, even Germany.

Can't see a Euro collapse happen. The currency has worked fine up till now and protected the continent against shocks. Leaving the currency would only expose a country to more instability due to exchange rate fluctuations and frightened/opportunistic markets. Pretty much every Eurozone country is in most situations better off with the Euro in the long term. Only way I can see any country leave is when populist sentiments get out of hand.

What hasn't worked so far in the EU is responsible lending and borrowing by the banking/financial sector and some governments (so what else is new).

The medicine is what gets both execs and politicians worked up. If banks/firms are to big to fail, they are to big to exist. Also, higher reserve requirements means lower profits (or more to the point: bonuses). More responsible goverments require more monitoring from ECB/Bruxelles, which frightens the national parlements.

Parading around tanks. Sounds very Russian, North Korean , Chinese, militarist government of them. I don't recall any particular American parades of that nature. And the ones I recall were usually filled with smiling people and confetti, rather than cold stares and seemingly soulless row upon row of military hardware.

Parading around tanks. Sounds very Russian, North Korean , Chinese, militarist government of them. I don't recall any particular American parades of that nature. And the ones I recall were usually filled with smiling people and confetti, rather than cold stares and seemingly soulless row upon row of military hardware.

Don't forger the french and the July 14. That's more like showing off than demonstating their capacity.

Maybe, maybe not. The only sure thing it would happen would be a MASSIVE (and I mean 1930s massive) depression with virtually every economy in Europe collapsing. Yes, even those not in the Euro and yes, even Germany.

Considering what happened to Germany and many other European countries during the 30s (radical fascist and communist governments taking power) I'd say they're as good as the same.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Britain still says no to the Euro last I checked (still on the Pound).

Britain has an Island complex, been that way for well over 600 years, it opposed the Euro as much for nationalist reasons as pragmatic reasons. Nothing wrong with that per se though.

However I do think that in an increasingly globalised world a single world currency will be the logical end point.

A very nationalistic reason would be that the Pound (sterling) was for all practical purposes the single world currency in the 19th century. All gold and silver exchanges were based on the Pound. Much like in the decade or two before the Euro came out the US Dollar was more or less the world currency. It was not alone by any means (niether was the Pound) but it was pretty much baseline for everyone else's money.

"Pakistan has started moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to
hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist
militants, two magazines reported Nov. 4."

"Pakistan has started moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to
hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist
militants, two magazines reported Nov. 4."

"Pakistan has started moving its nuclear weapons in low-security vans on congested roads to
hide them from U.S. spy agencies, making the weapons more vulnerable to theft by Islamist
militants, two magazines reported Nov. 4."

Sadly, he's right. But I don't think than the situation would be much difference with someone else than Karzai.

To be fair, I think the reason Karzai said what he said was because he's desperately trying to get Pakistan on his side, who clearly aren't doing enough to fight the terrorists. So I don't think he has much choice in the matter.

To be fair, I think the reason Karzai said what he said was because he's desperately trying to get Pakistan on his side, who clearly aren't doing enough to fight the terrorists. So I don't think he has much choice in the matter.

''To get Pakistan on his side'' is probably impossible as long as the ISI and a good part of the army look at Afghanistan as their personal playground asn he should had realised for nowif he isn't only in plst to get as much money as possible before the taliban get back in control.